1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to transport and securing of physical media and use of a door to interoperate with securing physical media, and more specifically to engaging and disengaging a tape cartridge into a tape cartridge magazine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Robotic media storage libraries are devices for providing automated access to a large collection of data stored on multiple physical storage media, such as magnetic tape cartridges or compact discs. One type of robotic media storage library is a tape media storage library. Generally, such libraries have a robot arm situated centrally within a cabinet, and racks of shelves for tapes arranged around the periphery of the cabinet. A cabinet may have space where a magazine of one or more tapes may be placed facing the robot. Such is the configuration of the StreamLine™ SL500 modular library system manufactured by Storage Technology Corporation, generally known as a ‘library’.
A typical tape cartridge is a box-shaped, typically plastic case having dimensions on the same order as a video cassette recorder tape. Like a video cassette recorder tape, rough handling, such as dropping from three feet onto a concrete floor, can jeopardize data integrity.
Magazines exist to permit easy movement of multiple cartridges at one time, and permit easy placement of the cartridges within a library cabinet. One of the features of the magazines in the SL500 system is that the magazines position the cartridges for easy access by the internal robot, while keeping the robot mechanism away from the hands and clothing of technicians handling the magazine.
In addition, for each chamber of the magazine arranged to receive a cartridge, a latching prong fits within a detent of a fully inserted cartridge. The friction of the detent is able to keep the cartridge in place during normal handling of the magazine, however, an inverted, or roughly handled magazine remains susceptible to releasing the cartridge onto whatever object lays below, often the hard surface of a floor.
Nevertheless, a moderate or light force to retain the cartridge is all that is allowable. A tighter grip is possible, but correspondingly increases the risk that repeated grips of the cartridge will wear down and crush the cartridge. Thus, a robot within the cabinet is configured to have a limited grip.
Generally, a technician having a cartridge to add performs a four-step process to load the cartridge into a SL500 library. First, the technician adds a cartridge to an available open slot of a magazine. Second, the technician opens a hinged door to the cabinet of the SL500 library. Third, the technician slides the magazine into place within the doorway. Fourth, the technician closes the door.
In addition to the risk of fully releasing a cartridge onto the floor, when a technician places the magazine within the cabinet, a cartridge unintentionally may extend partially from the magazine chamber. An inadequately seated or engaged cartridge may thus extend into the path of a moving robot, wherein the robot damages itself or the cartridge.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need to capture or firmly engage a cartridge within a magazine while being handled by a technician. There exists a need to release the cartridge so that a robot may grasp and extract the cartridge for storage and other functions of the library. In addition, there exists a need to allow a technician to release engagement so that the technician can load and empty the magazine.